Research

My research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine factors that shape college experiences and outcomes for student populations often overlooked within higher education, including racially minoritized students, transfer students, adults, students facing difficult life events, and first-generation college students. My most recent scholarship focuses on the ways personal characteristics and institutional environments affect autistic college students, including the PEACES Project, which highlights autistic collegians’ own definitions of success

Collectively, these research projects have earned more than $1.1 million in grant funding from varied sources including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASPA Foundation, TG Public Benefit Program, and Spencer Foundation. My peer-reviewed articles have been published in many of the field’s top journals, including Educational Researcher, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Review of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, and AERA Open.

In 2016, I founded the nonprofit College Autism Network to connect research, policy, and practice.

Featured Publications

Expert Discussion: Autism in Postsecondary Education

Nachman, B. R., Coombs, E., Cox, B. E., Johnson, J., Muhammad, B., Peña, E., & Vincent, J. (2025) An Expert Discussion on Autism in Postsecondary Education and the “Empowering Engines” Who Do Good. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2025.0168

Postsecondary education is a changing and challenging context for the scores of autistic students who pass through these spaces. One decade ago, Dr. Edlyn Peña chronicled the absence of disabilities scholarship in higher education literature, even while concurrently an influx of autistic learners entered our college campuses. Meanwhile, the advent of the College Autism Network, the nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Bradley E. Cox, started to gather individuals connected to autism in higher education, in the hopes of better supporting autistic college students across transition points. In the years since, postsecondary education constituents worldwide have reconciled how to adjust their structures and spaces to elevate autistic values and strengths, much as researchers have tirelessly aimed to thoughtfully and robustly curate autistic college students’ perspectives in their studies. We assembled a group of panelists with a range of experiences pertaining to autism within the context of postsecondary education institutions to participate in a roundtable discussion. What follows is a transcript of the conversation, abbreviated for clarity and length.

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Building Autistic Friendships

Nachman, B. R., Isaacson, K. B., Cox, B. E., &  McDermott, C. T. (2025). “I Always Ended Up Getting Close to Other People Who are Autistic”: Autistic College Students’ Friendship Development. Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2025.2497184

Finding community is often a pivotal component of the college experience. With autistic students on the rise across higher education, an opportunity exists to discover how this marginalized community uniquely builds relationships, especially given the nuances associated with their communication and ways of finding like-minded individuals. This phenomenological study explores how autistic college students foster social connectedness with the goal of understanding how higher education may better support this unique student population. We conducted interviews with 43 autistic undergraduate college students, as part of a larger nationwide study on autistic college student success. Our findings illuminate three ways autistic college students foster social connectedness: engaging in autistic spaces, practicing autistic authenticity, and bonding over shared interests. We build on the theoretical model of belonging for college students with disabilities by showing the importance of modality, vulnerability, and niche outlets as helping foster connection among autistic college students. We encourage practitioners to build more clubs and affinity spaces for autistic students to connect, which may prompt researchers to explore how particular settings help autistic students in building bonds.

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Navigating Challenges to Facilitate Success

Cox, B. E., Brogdon, B., Roy, A., & Edelstein, J. (2021). Navigating challenges to facilitate success for college students with autism. 92(2), 252-278. Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1798203

Roughly 1 in 59 children in the United States is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a rate that has more than doubled during the last 10 years. As students with autism increasingly pursue higher education, college educators must understand these students’ experiences and actively address issues that affect their college outcomes. This paper draws from interviews with autistic students who have had widely varying experiences and outcomes in higher education. Using an iterative analytic strategy that combined elements of grounded theory, multiple case study, and constant comparative approaches, researchers developed a series of propositions that were subsequently deconstructed and reconstituted as a conceptual model. The resultant conceptual model not only provides a descriptive portrait of how these students experienced interactions with their postsecondary institutions but also outlines specific ways in which tensions between the student and institution manifest as acute problems that students were often able to recognize, sometimes able to reframe, and occasionally able to resolve. The “3R” model can be used to help students and their institutions anticipate, address, and overcome challenges in ways that improve college experiences and outcomes for students on the autism spectrum.

 

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Refereed Journal Articles

Brower, R. L., Nachman, B. R., & Cox, B. E. (In Press). “An important part of who I am”: How autistic college students demonstrate advocacy. Journal of College Student Development.

Nachman, B. R., Cox, B. E., Yarber, K., Raclaw, E., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Taylor, J. L., & Gelbar, N. W.
(In Press). Faculty Members’ Roles in Elevating Autistic College Student Success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Nachman, B. R., Cox, B. E., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Taylor, J. L., Gelbar, N. W., & Raclaw, E. (2025). “Enjoy your time and be confident”: Honoring autistic community college students’ multifaceted interpretations of success. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000671

Nachman, B. R., Coombs, E., Cox, B. E., Johnson, J., Muhammad, B., Peña, E., & Vincent, J. (2025) An Expert Discussion on Autism in Postsecondary Education and the “Empowering Engines” Who Do Good. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2025.0168

Nachman, B. R., Isaacson, K. B., Cox, B. E., & McDermott, C. T. (2025). “I Always Ended Up Getting Close to Other People Who are Autistic”: Autistic College Students’ Friendship Development. The Journal of Higher Education, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2025.2497184

Nachman, B. R., McDermott, C. T., & Cox, B. E. (2022). Autism-specific college support programs: Differences across geography and institutional type. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04958-1

Cox, B. E., Brogdon, B., Roy, A., & Edelstein, J. (2021). Navigating challenges to facilitate success for college students with autism. 92(2), 252-278. Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1798203

Cox, B. E. & Nachman, B. R. (2020). Improving quantitative research and assessment about college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 33(3), 239-246.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., Thompson, K., Dawson, S., Edelstein, J., & Breeden, C. (2020). An exploration of actionable insights regarding college students with autism: A review of the literature. Review of Higher Education, 43(4), 935-966. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2020.0026

Brower, R. L., Mokher, C., Bertrand Jones, T., Cox, B. E., & Hu, S. (2020). From grassroots to ‘need to know’: Distributed leadership and data cultures in Florida’s community colleges. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419899065

Smith, I., Cox, B. E., & White, S. (2019). Helping parents with the initial diagnosis of autism: Parent-informed guidance for clinicians. Evidence-Based Practice in Child & Adolescent Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/23794925.2019.1626781

Anderson, A., Cox, B. E., Edelstein, J., & Wolz, A. (2019). Support systems for students with autism spectrum disorder during their transition to higher education: A qualitative analysis of online discussions. College Student Affairs Journal, 37(1), 14-27. https://doi.org/10.1353/csj.2019.0001

Roehrig, A. D., Soper, D., Cox, B. E., & Colvin, G. P. (2018). Changing the default to support open access to education research. Educational Researcher, 47(7), 465-473. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18782974

Smith, I., Edelstein, J., Cox, B. E., & White, S. (2018). Parental disclosure of ASD diagnosis to the child: A systematic review. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 3(2), 98-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/23794925.2018.1435319

Tobolowsky, B. T., Cox, B. E., & Chunoo, V. (2017). Bridging the cultural gap: Relationships between programmatic offerings and first-generation student benchmarks. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025117742377

Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Tobolowsky, B. T., Brower, R. L., Patterson, S., Luczyk, S., and Roberts, K. L. (2017). Lip service or actionable insights? Linking student experiences to assessment, accountability, and data-driven decision making in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 88(6), 835-862.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2016.1272320

Canto, A. I., Swanbrow Becker, M., Cox, B. E., Hayden, S., Osborn, D. (2017). College students in crisis: Prevention, identification, and response options for campus housing professionals. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 43(2), 44-57.

Cox, B. E., Thompson, K., Anderson, A., Mintz, A., Locks, T. Morgan, L., Edelstein, J., & Wolz, A. (2017). College experiences for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Personal identity, public disclosure, and institutional support. Journal of College Student Development, 58(1), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0004

Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Nix, S. & Schwab, M. (2016). Life happens (outside of college): Non-college life-events and students’ likelihood of on-time graduation. Research in Higher Education, 57(7), 823-844. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-016-9409-z

Brower, R. L., Cox, B. E., & Hampton, A. (2016). No adult left behind: Student affairs practices targeting adult undergraduates. ACPA Developments, 14(2).

Shetty, R., Chunoo, V. & Cox, B. E., (2016). Self-authorship in student affairs: A developmental paradox? Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(2), 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1121147

Cox, B. E., Dean, J. & Kowalski, R. (2015). Hidden trauma, quiet drama: The prominence and consequence of problematic grieving among college students. Journal of College Student Development, 56(3), 280-285. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0030

Tobolowsky, B. T., McClellan, R., and Cox, B. E. (2014). Opposing forces: An organizational view of transfer policies and practices. College Student Affairs Journal, 32(1), 67-80.

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Reason, R. D., and Terenzini, P. T. (2014). Working with missing data in higher education research: A primer and real-world example. Review of Higher Education, 37(3), 377-402. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2014.0026

Tobolowsky, B. T. & Cox, B. E. (2012). Rationalizing neglect: An institutional response to transfer students. Journal of Higher Education, 83(3), 389-410. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2012.0021

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Reason, R. D., & Terenzini, P. T. (2011). A culture of teaching: Policy, perception, and practice in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 52(8), 808-829. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-011-9223-6

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P. T., Reason, R. D., & Lutovsky Quaye, B. R. (2010). Pedagogical signals of faculty approachability: Factors shaping faculty-student interaction outside the classroom. Research in Higher Education, 51(8), 767-788. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9178-z

Reason, R. D., Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B. R., & Terenzini, P. T. (2010). Faculty and institutional factors that promote student encounters with difference in first-year courses. Review of Higher Education, 33(3), 391-414. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0137

Abel, M. J., Bice, A., & Cox, B. E. (2007). The importance of faculty involvement in orientation. Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 14(2), 25-31.

Cox, B. E. & Orehovec, E. (2007). Faculty-student interaction outside the classroom: A typology from a residential college. Review of Higher Education, 30(4), 343-362. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2007.0033

Monographs, Chapters, Reports, and Issue Briefs

Cox, B. E., Kepple, C. R., Francis, C. B., & Griffing, O. M. (2020). Autism-Specific College Support Programs: National Report. College Autism Network.

Kimball, E., Vaccaro, A., Cox, B. E., Lee, M., Zilvinskis, J., Wessel, R., et al. (2018). Making disability visible in higher education research: A draft research agenda for quantitative, qualitative, and theoretical higher education disability scholarship. Report for the Spencer Foundation.

Vaccaro, A., Lee, M. Kimball, E., Cox, B. E., Abes, E., Banerjee, M., et al. (2018). Making disability visible in higher education research: Documenting qualitative, quantitative and theoretical issues and solutions. Report for the Spencer Foundation.

Cox, B. E. (2017). Autism Coming to College (Issue Brief). College Autism Network.

Cox, B. E. & Beebe, C. W. (Eds.). (2016) Supporting Atheist Students: Report from the 2015 College Student Population doctoral seminar. Florida State University.

Cox, B. E. (2012). A developmental typology of faculty-student interaction outside of the classroom. In Understanding College Student Experiences and Outcomes: A Typological Approach (S. Hu and S. Li, Editors). New Directions for Institutional Research. (p., 49-66). https://doi.org/10.1002/ir

Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Tobolowksy, B. F., Underwood, R. B., Luczyk, S., Nix, S., Dean, J., & Wetherell, T. K. (2012). Linking institutional policies to student success: Initial results from a five-state pilot study. Tallahassee: FSU’s Center for Higher Education Research, Teaching, and Innovation.

Terenzini, P. T., Reason, R.D, Cox, B. E., & McIntosh, K. L (2009). Comprehensive student dataset user’s guide. Reports from the Parsing the First Year of College Project. Center for the Study of Higher Education, the Pennsylvania State University.

Terenzini, P. T., Reason, R.D, Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B. R., & McIntosh, K. L (2009). Survey of faculty activities and perceptions: Institutional report and user’s guide. Campus-Specific Reports from the Parsing the First Year of College Project. Center for the Study of Higher Education, the Pennsylvania State University.

Reason, R.D., Terenzini, P. T., Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B. R., & McIntosh, K. L (2009). Chief academic officers survey: User’s guide. Report from the Parsing the First Year of College Project. Center for the Study of Higher Education, the Pennsylvania State University.

Reason, R.D., Terenzini, P. T., Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B. R., & McIntosh, K. L (2009). Chief student affairs officers survey: User’s guide. Report from the Parsing the First Year of College Project. Center for the Study of Higher Education, the Pennsylvania State University.

Tobolowsky, B. T., & Cox, B. E. (Eds.) (2007). Shedding light on sophomores: An exploration of the second college year. (Monograph No. 47). Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Cox, B. E. (2005). Overview of survey responses. In B.F. Tobolowsky, The 2003 national survey on first-year seminars: Continuing innovations in the collegiate curriculum (Monograph No. 41) (pp. 47-92). Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Tobolowsky, B. F., Cox, B. E., & Wagner, M. T. (Eds.) (2005). Exploring the evidence: Volume III: Reporting research on first-year seminars (Monograph No. 42). Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Cox, B. E. (2006). A proven possibility: Faculty-student interaction outside the classroom. E-Source for college transitions. Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Papers and Presentations

Featured Papers and Presentations at National/International Conferences

Nachman, B. R., Cox, B. E., & Isaacson, K. B. (2024, November). “My friendships have been the most authentic they’ve ever been”: Autistic students’ friendship development. “Featured Presentation” delivered at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., & Lei, J. (2020, July). Education Beyond School – Transition to College and University for Autistic Students. Lead presenter at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Summer Institute.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., & Lei, J. (2019, May). Adapting & Advancing Postsecondary Education for Autistic Students. Chair, facilitator, and opening presenter for Special Interest Group at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), Montreal, Canada.

Cox, B. E. (2018, November). A Tale of Many Tensions Affecting College (Programs for) Students with ASD. Opening keynote address at the Annual College Inclusion Summit, Burlington, VT.

Cox, B. E. (2015, January). From Evolution to Revolution: Rethinking the Foundational Principles of College Success Models. HEDs Up (in the spirit of TED talks) presentation at Centennial Meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Washington, D. C.

Research at Refereed Conferences

Cox, B. E., Jiang, Y., Isaacson, K. B., & Nachman, B. R. (May 2025). Battle of the bots in autistic college student survey research. Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, United States.

Nachman, B. R., & Cox, B. E. (May 2025). Elevating resilience among autistic post-transfer college students. Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, United States.

Gillespie- Lynch, K., Nachman, B. R., & Cox, B. E. (May 2025). Is learning you are autistic earlier in development associated with success in college for autistic students? Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, United States.

Jiang, Y., Isaacson, K. B., Cox, B. E., & Nachman, B. R. (April 2025). Navigating autistic college students’ identity formation in their journey of career development. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, Denver. Colorado.

Isaacson, K. B., Jiang, Y., Cox, B. E., & Nachman, B. R. (April 2025). Navigating support challenges of autism and co-occurring disabilities in college. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, Denver. Colorado.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., & Jiang, Y. Battling bots and combating fraud in online educational research. (2024, November). Presentation delivered at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Brower, R., Nachman, B. R., & Cox, B. E. “If you don’t self-advocate… no one’s gonna do it.” Autism advocacy in higher education. (2024, November). Presentation delivered at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Virtual Conference.

Nachman, B. R. & Cox, B. E. (2024, October). Project PEACES: Wave 2 findings from a national study of autistic college student success. Presentation delivered at the College Autism Summit Conference, Columbus, Ohio.

Cox, B. E., & Nachman, B. R. (2023, November). “Finding other people whose minds work similarly to mine”: Factors supporting autistic college student success. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nachman, B. R. & Cox, B. E. (2023, November). “Being successful isn’t something any one metric can determine”: How autistic college students define success. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nachman, B. R. & Cox, B. E. (2023, October). Project PEACES: Wave 1 data findings. Presentation delivered at the College Autism Summit Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Taylor, J. L., Gelbar, N., & Raclaw, E. (2023, May). How Autistic Students Define Success: Getting Beyond Grades and Graduation. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., Taylor, J. L., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Gelbar, N., & Raclaw, E. (2023, May). Ensuring Data Integrity Against Bots and Frauds in Online Surveys of Autistic Students. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research.

Cox, B. E., Kepple, C. R., & Francis, C. B. (2022, November). Persistence in STEM Majors for Students with Autism-Related Characteristics. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Kepple, C. R., Cox, B. E., & Francis, C. B. (2022, November). A National Portrait of Autism-Specific College Support Programs. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Cox, B. E., Kepple, C. R., & Francis, C. B., (2021, November). College Persistence and Graduation for Students with Autism Related Characteristics. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Kepple, C. R., Francis, C. B., & Cox, B. E. (2021, May). Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Among Postsecondary Students in the United States. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research.

Kepple, C.R., Francis, C. B., & Cox, B. E. (2021, May). A National Portrait of Autism-Specific College Support Programs in the United States. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research.

Francis, C. B., & Kepple, C. R., Cox, B. E. (2021, April). Examining equity of access at postsecondary institutions hosting Autism-specific college support programs. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

Ford, J. R., Brewster, B., Cox, B. E., Fluker, C., Francis, C. Spencer, D., & Edwards, O. (2020, November). #TheorySoWhite: A Rethinking of Black Student Development Theories in Higher Education. Symposium presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Clay, A. J. & Cox, B. E. (2020, November). Reframing Smith’s Atheist Identity Development Model: Atheism as a Fluid Belief System. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Francis, C. B., Kepple, C. R., Cox, B. E., & Fulcher, C. G. (2020, October). Are they equitable? Critically analyzing institutions with Autism-specific college support programs. Presentation at the annual College Autism Summit.

Kepple, C.R., Francis, C.B., Cox, B. E., & Fulcher, C.G. (2020, October). Autism-specific college support programs: Where they are, what they do, and how much they cost. Presentation at the annual College Autism Summit.

Cox, B. E., Kepple, C., & Francis, C.B. (2020, June). Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Among Postsecondary Students in the United States. Poster at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research. (Accepted but not presented because of COVID-19).

Nachman, B. R., McDermott, K., & Cox, B. E. (2020, June). Mapping out College Autism-Specific Support Programs in the United States. Poster at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research. (Accepted but not presented because of COVID-19).

Cox, B. E. (2019, November). Autism, STEM, and GPA: Are they connected? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Portland, OR.

Cox, B. E. (2019, May). Postsecondary Students with Autism-Related Characteristics: STEM Fields and GPA. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Montreal, Canada.

Brower, R. L., You, J., Wu, J., Brower, R. & Cox, B. E. (2019, April). What the Network Research Tradition Can Tell Us About Higher Education. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.

Brower, R. L., Mokher, C., Bertrand Jones, T., Cox, B. E., & Hu, S. (2019, April). From Grassroots to ‘Need to Know’: Distributed Leadership and Data Cultures in Florida’s Community Colleges. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.

Cox, B. E. (2018, May). Peer responses to autism-related behaviors in a postsecondary class. Poster Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Cox, B. E., Nachman, B. R., Thompson, K., Dawson, S., Edelstein, J., Breeden, C. (2017, November). Actionable insights regarding college students with autism: A systematic literature review. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Houston, TX.

Cox, B. E., Brogdon, B., Edelstein, J. & Roy, A. (2016, November). A spectrum of student success: Identifying factors affecting access, experiences, and outcomes for students on the autism spectrum. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of Association for the Study of Higher Education, Columbus, OH.
** Recipient of the Robert M. Gagne Outstanding Research Prize from FSU’s COE Council on Research in Education**

Anderson, A., Cox, B. E., Wolz, A., & Edelstein, J. (2016, May). Support Systems for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder during the Transition to Higher Education: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Discussions. Poster Presentation at the Annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR), Baltimore, MD.

Edelstein, J., Wolz, A., Cox, B. E., & Anderson, A. (2016, May). Identifying and Addressing the Concerns of College Students with Autism. Poster Presentation at the Annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR), Baltimore, MD.

Wolz, A., Cox, B. E., Anderson, A., & Edelstein, J. (2016, May). Seeking Safe Spaces: Autistic Students Finding Places to be Themselves on College Campuses. Poster Presentation at the Annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR), Baltimore, MD.

Cox, B. E., Anderson, A., Edelstein, J., & Wolz, A. (2016, May). College Experiences for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Identity, Disclosure, and Accommodations. Poster Presentation at the Annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR), Baltimore, MD.

Brower, R. L., Schwartz, R. A., Cox, B. E., & Brower, R. A. (2016, April). The Dean’s dilemma: Using information to solve problems in higher education administration. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C.

Cox, B. E., Mintz, A., Locks, T. Thompson, K., Anderson, A., Morgan, L., Edelstein, J., & Wolz, A. (2015, April). College students with autism: Bridges and barriers to postsecondary success. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

Winland, C. & Cox, B. E. (2014, November). Institutional policies: Supporting Hispanic student success. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of Association for the Study of Higher Education, Washington D.C.

Walters, G. & Cox, B. E. (2014, November). Connecting the academy and athletics: An evidence-based model of first-year student-athlete integration. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Washington D.C.

 Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Tobolowsky, B. T., Brower, R. L., Patterson, S., & Luczyk, S. (2014, April). Lip service or actionable insights? Linking student experiences to assessment, accountability, and data-driven decision-making in higher education. (Listed in AERA Conference Program as: Linking Institutional Policies to Student Success: Evidence From 57 Institutions) Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
** Recipient of the Robert M. Gagne Outstanding Research Prize from FSU’s COE Council on Research in Education**

Brower, R. L. & Cox, B. E. (2014, April). No adult left behind: The prevalence of student affairs practices offering social support to adult undergraduates. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Roberts, K. L. & Cox, B. E. (2013, November). Student-faculty interaction in the first year of college:  Exploring the effects of policy on student engagement. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, St. Louis, MO.

Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Underwood, R. L., & Tobolowsky, B. T. (2013, January). From research findings to institutional policies: How 57 institutions implement research-supported policies and practices facilitating first-year student success. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Atlanta, GA.

Reason, R. D., & Cox, B. E. (2012, November). More than a patchwork of piecemeal initiatives: The compound benefits of an institution-wide commitment to first-year student retention. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Las Vegas, NV.

Underwood, R. L., Cox, B. E., & Luczyk, S. (2012, November). Diversity policies in academic affairs and student affairs divisions: Does collaboration matter? Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Las Vegas, NV.

Tobolowsky, B. F., McClellan, & Cox, B. E. (2011, November). The segmented assimilation of transfer students: An organizational view. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Charlotte, NC.

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K.L., Reason, R.D., Terenzini, P.T., & Brower, R.  (2011, May). More than a patchwork of piecemeal initiatives: The compound benefits of an institution-wide commitment to first-year student success. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

McIntosh, K.L., Cox, B. E., Reason, R.D., & Terenzini, P.T. (2011, May). Effects of college experiences on the critical thinking skills of first-generation first-year students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cox, B. E. (2011, April). Racial equality in graduation rates at selective institutions: Accounting for pre-college differences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
** Recipient of the Robert M. Gagne Outstanding Research Prize from FSU’s COE Council on Research in Education**

Cox, B. E. & Reason, R. D.  (2011, April). Life Happens (Outside of College): How challenging non-college life-events affect students’ likelihood of graduation. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
**Featured by the Chronicle of Higher Education on April 6, 2011. Referenced and quoted in an article for the Daily Texan. Highlighted in radio interview with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. **

McIntosh, K.L., Cox, B. E., Reason, R.D., & Terenzini, P.T. (2011, April). Individual and institutional factors influencing active and collaborative learning among first-year college students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

Terenzini, P.T., Reason, R.D., Cox, B. E., & McIntosh, K.L. (2011, January). Parsing the first year of college: Findings from a comprehensive study. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, San Francisco.
**Quoted by insidehighered.com in an article describing the presentation**

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Reason, R.D. & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, November). When doing the “right” thing feels wrong: A primer and example of missing data imputation. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Indianapolis, IN.

Reason, R.D., Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K.L., & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, November). Promoting openness to diversity and challenge in the first year of college: A civic imperative. Paper at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Indianapolis, IN.

Reason, R.D., Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K.L., & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, June). A student culture of DEEP learning: Its causes and consequences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago, IL.

McIntosh, K. L., Cox, B. E., Reason, R.D., & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, June). Quality, quantity, or content: What about faculty-student interaction actually affects student outcomes? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago, IL.

McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P.T., Cox, B. E., & Reason, R.D. (2010, March). Evaluating institutional policies as a support to faculty high-impact practices. Paper presented at AAC&U’s Conference on Faculty Roles in High-Impact Practices, Philadelphia, PA.

Reason, R.D., Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K.L., & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, June). A student culture of DEEP learning: Its causes and consequences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago, IL.

McIntosh, K. L., Cox, B. E., Reason, R.D., & Terenzini, P.T. (2010, June). Quality, quantity, or content: What about faculty-student interaction actually affects student outcomes? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago, IL.

Reason, R. D., Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., & Terenzini, P. T. (2010, June). Creating DEEP learning environments: Organizational influences on first-year students. Concurrent session presented at the Annual First-Year Experience International Conference, Maui, HI.

McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P.T., Cox, B. E., & Reason, R.D. (2010, March). Evaluating institutional policies as a support to faculty high-impact practices. Paper presented at AAC&U’s Conference on Faculty Roles in High-Impact Practices, Philadelphia, PA.

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P.T., & Reason, R.D. (2009, June). A culture of teaching: Its causes and consequences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Atlanta, GA.

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P.T., Reason, R.D., & Lutovsky Quaye, B.L. (2009, April). Factors shaping faculty-student contact outside of the classroom: Institutional, demographic, and pedagogical influences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Cox, B. E. (2009, April). Learning to be real: Cultural developments in a student-run academic journal. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego.

Reason, R.D, Cox, B. E., Lutovsky Quaye, B.L., & Terenzini (2008, November). Faculty and institutional factors that promote student encounters with difference in first-year courses. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Jacksonville, FL.
[Listed in program as: Promoting encounters with difference in first-year courses: A multilevel analysis of faculty practice.]

Cox, B. E.  & Tobolowsky, B. F. (2007, April). Addressing transfer students’ perceived needs: An institutional perspective. Paper discussion at Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, IL.

Cox, B. E., Serven, S., & Tobolowsky, B.F. (2007, April). Sophomore-year initiatives: A national overview and institutional examples. Concurrent session presented at the joint meeting of ACPA and NASPA. Orlando, FL.

Gansemer-Topf, A., Flanagan, B., Stern, J., Cox., B. E., Stockenberg, J., Tobolowsky, B.T., & Schaller, M. (2007, April). The second-year experience: Examining theory, research, and best practices. All-day pre-conference workshop presented at the joint meeting of ACPA and NASPA. Orlando, FL.

Cox, B. E., Tobolowsky, B. F., & Serven, S. (2006, November). Serving sophomores: A national study of initiatives for second-year college students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Orange County, CA.
**Highlighted in radio interview with College Connection, from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.**

Orehovec, E, & Cox, B. E.  (2006, March). Increasing faculty-student interaction: Eight contributing factors. Concurrent session presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Indianapolis, IN.

Swing, R. L. & Cox, B. E. (2006, February). Moving from an assessment paradigm to an improvement paradigm. Focused dialogue (roundtable) discussion at the Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Atlanta, GA.

Cox, B. E. & Swing, R. L. (2006, February). A dozen ideas about first-year assessment. Concurrent session presented at 25th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Atlanta, GA.

Swing, R. L. & Cox, B. E. (2006, February). Making sense of first-year assessment. Four-hour pre-conference workshop presented at 25th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Atlanta, GA.

Swing, R. L. & Cox, B. E. (2006, February). Assessing first-year seminars and learning communities:  Measuring success and planning improvement. Three-hour pre-conference workshop presented at 25th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Atlanta, GA.

Cox, B. E. & Orehovec, E. (2005, November). An interactive experience: A new model of faculty-student interaction. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Philadelphia, PA.

Swing, R. L. & Cox, B. E.  (2005, October). The first year of college – A dozen ideas for IR professionals.  Concurrent session presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Association for Institutional Research. Charleston, SC.

Swing, R. L. & Cox, B. E. (2005, February). Making sense of first-year assessment. Three-hour pre-conference workshop presented at Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Phoenix, AZ.

Tobolowsky, B. F. & Cox, B. E. (2005, February). Results of the 2003 national survey on first-year seminars. Concurrent session presented at Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Phoenix, AZ.

Cox, B. E. (2004, November). A powerful combination: First-year seminars and residential learning communities. Concurrent session presented at the Annual Conference on Living-Learning Programs and Residential Colleges. Bloomington, IN.

Practitioner-Focused Presentations at Refereed Conferences

Cox, B. E. & Nachman, B. R. (2022, October). Determining Autistic College Student Success: A Look Into Project PEACES. Presentation at the annual College Autism Summit.

Burdette-Williams, L. & Cox, B. E. (2022, March). Disability, Difference or (Neuro)Diversity: Supporting Students Across the Entire Spectrum. Presentation at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Francis, C.B., Kepple, C.R., & Cox, B. E. (2021, March). Recognizing Neurodiversity in the age of inclusion: A focus on supporting students with Autism on college campuses. Presentation at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Cox, B. E. (2019, March). Facilitating Success for Students with Autism. Presentation at the 2019 Gateway Course Experience Conference. Atlanta, GA.

Cox, B. E. (2018, October). Going to college with autism: Facilitating access and success. Presentation at the Annual Conference of the Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC). Pointe Verde, FL.

Burdette Williams, L., & Cox, B. E. (2018, February). Autism and the student conduct process: Support begins with understanding. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA). Jacksonville, FL.

Cox, B. E. (2018, February). A spectrum of college success: Preparing students with autism for the transition to postsecondary education. Poster Presentation at the Annual Convention of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Tampa, FL.

Cox, B. E., & Breeden, C. (2017, March). Students with Autism: Peer Perspectives and Helpful Strategies. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of ACPA. Columbus, OH.

Cox, B. E. (2017, February). Supporting First-Year Students with Autism: Inclusion Begins with Understanding. Presentation at the Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. Atlanta, GA.

Cox, B. E., Nix, S. R., & Peters, A. (2016, February). College Student Atheists. Jon C. Dalton Institute on College Student Values. Tallahassee, FL.

Cox, B. E., Nix, S. R., & Peters, A. (2016, January). Atheist College Students. Multicultural Leadership Summit, Center for Leadership and Social Change. Tallahassee, FL.

Mintz, A., Locks, T., Cox, B. E., & Warner, D. (2016, April) Autism in Higher Education: Barriers and Bridges in a Changing Landscape. Presentation at the Annual NASPA Conference, Indianapolis, IN. (Session competitively selected for sponsorship by the NASPA Disability Knowledge Community).

Anderson, A., Cox, B. E., & Edelstein, J. (2015, May) Students with High Functioning Autism and Communication Through Online Forums. Presentation at the Annual Conference of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Fort Lauderdale, FL
** Recipient of the Award for the best poster presentation at the conference. **

Reason, R. D. & Cox, B. E. (2013, June). From Research Findings to Institutional Policies: How 57 Institutions Implement Research-Supported Policies and Practices Facilitating First-Year Student Success. Concurrent session presented at the International Conference on the First-Year Experience, Hawaii.

Luczyk, S., Underwood, R. L., & Cox, B. E. (2013, May). Assessment, Planning, and Evaluation: What’s Actually Happening? Concurrent session presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA.

Cox, B. E. (2013, February). Research-supported policies and practices facilitating first-year student success at 57 institutions. Concurrent session presented at the Annual Meeting of The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, Orlando.

Streit, M, & Cox, B. E. (2012, March). A Question With Many Answers: Who is the American College Student? Concurrent session presented at the NASPA Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

McIntosh, K. L., Terenzini, P. T., Cox, B. E., & Reason, R. D. (2010, June). Delivering the First Year of College: A Profile of How It Is Done on 45 Campuses. Concurrent session presented at the First-Year Experience International Conference, Maui, HI.

Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., Reason, R. D., & Terenzini, P. T. (2010, June). Action, Reaction, Interaction: Institutional Efforts to Enhance Faculty-Student Interaction. Concurrent session presented at the First-Year Experience International Conference, Maui, HI.

Reason, R. D., Cox, B. E., McIntosh, K. L., & Terenzini, P. T. (2010, June). Creating DEEP learning environments: Organizational influences on first-year students. Concurrent session presented at the First-Year Experience International Conference, Maui, HI.